Beet harvester



Jan. 17, 1933. w. E. URscHEL BEET HARVESTER Filed Deo. 5, 1929 5Sheets-Sheet 1 W. E. URSCHEL BEET HARVESTER Jan'. 17, 1933.

Filed Deo. 5, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 17, 1933. w, E, URSCHEL1,894,802

BEET HARVESTER Filed Deo. 5. 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet '3 /00 INVENTOR Y @wwwA TTORNE Y Jan. 17, 1933. y w. E. URSCHEL 1,894,802

BEET HARVESTER Filed Dec. 5, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR MMA/@ML BY lAT RNEY Patented Jaa. 17, 1933 UNITED STATES glm'rnla'r'V orificeATNICIDLlAM E. URSCHEL, F VALPARAISO,

BEET HARVESTER `.Application led December V5, 1929. Serial No; 411,722.

soil-embodied 'crop to effect the removal of,

' such crop from the soil,'ne rt, to convey the lo crop into a positionwhere 1t 1s uniformly disposed in respect to severing members, and

thereafter, to Seyer by such members the appendages and a'portion of thetop section from the crop. e

The present invention is a modlfication of applicants device illustrated1n application of Serial Number 357,625, filed April 24:, 1929, i, therebeing numerous changes and improveo .ments 'over this earlierapplication.

2 The harvesteris so constructed and a1 ranged that the conveyorstherein are positioned to elevate the crop to a height from which it'maybe discharged viiito a wagon traveling alongside of the apparatus, orinto a suitable receptacle which may be arranged v upon the harvesteritself. v

Harvesters of conventional construction j have not proven entirelyeiiicient. and this is particularly true lin respect to harvesters forsugar beets. Sugar beets sometimes are tenaciously held in the soil.Anabrupt pull upon the tops of such beets heretofore haa been theconventional manner of di'slodgingk such a crop from the soil. Suchhandling,

i however. has resulted in a number of the beets being left in theground because of the separation of the appendages without dislodgingthe root crop. In fact, the proportion 40 of the crop not removed bymechanical harvesters has made the' heretofore proposed devicesunsuccessful commercially.

Additionally, sugar beets are very airregular in growth. Some of thebeets grow entirel7 beneath the surface of the soil, whil-Q other beetsproject above the ground in'va. rions proportions. There is nov accurategauge to determine the proportion v/of the beet body which will besubmerged beneath the soil. Some'beets appear to be wholly out of theground except for a few straggling thready roots. v

In sugar beets, unlike most other root crops, it is desirable to' removea top part of the body of the beet. Suchpart, which is rela- 55. tivelysmall in proportion to the body of the beet, is low in sugar content,and is sotough that it is injurious to the various machines which areused in theA various processes of recovering the beet juice for thepurpose of o the production of sugar.

The present invention not only provides for the efficient gathering ofthe beets, whether entirely submerged in the soil, or whether merelyresting thereupon, but for the removal of the leaf appendages with aportion of the top of the root which is undesirable.

Knives have heretofore been employed upon a few types of harvesters,and, when so .employed,'some ofthese have been mounted beneaththepulling members of the harvester. This has been one of the conventionalmanners in which such knives have been t mounted, hut none of thesecutting devices 7 5 have proved wholly satisfactorybecause the action ofsuch knives has been more or less irregular, some crops being hardlytouched by the knives, while others have been completelyu cut away. Allof .these difticulties are rectified in the present instrumentalitywhich produces an extraordinarily uniform result in respect to removinglimited portions of the beets along with the leaf appendages. Itisdesirable to provide adjustments for harvesting instrumentalitis toenable awide range of effective variances in the ositions of the severalelements connected terewith in order that the harvester may be madeeffective with respect to normal crops and also ,with 'res ct toabnormal growths or condiuch adjustments are necessary in order toharvest varying crops without injury thereto. Compensating adjustmentsare highly desirable when the direction and magnitude ofthe growthofacrop and the ease of its removal from the ground are highly variablefactors. yIt is believed that the present apparatus fully compensatesfor any factor hereinabove mentioned, or any other fac' tions. v

tor which may be met in the harvesting of sugar beets and similar rootcrops.

Included in the objects of the invention, among others, are thefollowing:

An improved means for imparting a gradual lift and a concurrentr pullupon a soil .embodied crop to effect its removal from such shall beacted upon by severing instrumentalities or tools. Y

Novel means for harvesting a crop, like sugar beets, and conveying suchcrop lpast cutters whereby a portion of the beets and the a pendages ofsuch beets are removed there rom.

Novel means for regulating the position of a beet, or other object, asit approaches cutting members or other instrumentalities. i Means forseparating the appendages from the root portion of a crop.

The combination of elevating means with lguide means for determining theposition which a crop will occupy when engaging severing means.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the hereinafter givendescription of the single embodiment of the present inventionillustrated in the accompanying drawings, hereby made a part of thisspecification, and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a completemachine possessing the features of the present invention;

^ Figure 2 is a plan view of the harvesting device shown in Figure 1; 4

Figure 3 is a transverse sectlon of a puller frame, twoof which are usedin the machine illustrated in Figures 1 and 2;

Figure ltis a plan view of one of such puller frames;

Figure 5 is a rear view of an arch support for the puller membersshowing a spreader device therefor;

. Figure 6'is a side elevation of a crop puller and pertinent parts;

Figure 7 is a transverse section, partly elevation, illustrating thetransmission frame and drive for the machine;

i Figure 8 is a detail side elevation of the bull wheel drivingmechanism; Figure 9 is a detail elevation of the puller v drive;

Figure 10is a diagrammatic side elevation illustrative of the operationsof the machine, vshowing the relative positions of the crop pulled, theplow, and the guideroller bars;

Figure 11 is a sectional detail of the rear su port for the guide rollerbars;

lgure 12 is a cross section of the rear roller nbar support taken onthe` line B-B of Figure 11;

l Figure 13 is a rear View, partly in section, of knife supportingbrackets illustrated in preceding views;

Figure 14 is a diagrammatic side elevation showing the guide roller barsillustrative of the effect of their rotation;

Figure 15 is a detailed plan view of theV guide roller bars showing thedrive therefor and the frame for. their support;

Figure 16 is a side elevation of side roller bars and-pertinent parts;

Figure 17 is a plan View of a roller bar;

Figure 18 is a side View of a rolier bar; and

Figure 19 is a transverse section of a roller bar taken on the line CCof Figure 17.

Like reference characters are used to designate similar parts in thedrawings and in the description of the invention hereinafter given.

For convenience of description and full understanding, the machine maybe divided roughly into its several units, as, for example, its frame,its transmission mechanism, the pullers, and the cutting mechanism.These are described separatelv. I

The frame const'mct-on For the details of the frame structure, referenceshould be had primarily to Figures 1 and 2, which figures mayconveniently be 'read conjointly. A main frame for. the apparatus maycomprse two or more longitudinally ydisposed parallel main frame members1, secured together by a plurality of transverse frame members, such asthe members 2. In the present instance two members 2 MIare employed inconjunction with other transverse members. Assisting in maintaining theframe members 1 in parallelism is transmission frame 43 which is bestillustrated in Figure 7.

At each side of the main frame are bull wheels.3, which bull wheels support the frame above the ground. These wheels are rotatably mountedupon stub aXles 42, the latter being secured in the transmission frame43. Ring gears 44 are securely fastened to each of the bull wheels 3bythe employment of bushings 41.

In juxtaposition to the front transverse member 2 and intermediate saidmember 2 and the transmission frame 43 is another transverse framemember 13. Between the forward transverse member 2 andsaid transp In asupporting bracket ,9 at the top and front of the machine is a fork 8,and AWithin the fork 8 is disposed a front or guide wheel 5. Said wheelis freely rotatable in the fork 8, and said fork 8 is mounted forfreerotation in the bracket 9. A

Upon the fork 8 is a gear 7. For the pur.- pose of rotating such gear,which rotates the fork 8, there is upon a steering rod 10 a worm 6meshing with said gear. Rotation of the steering rod 10, which ismounted in suitable brackets disposed upon the front transverse member 2and the transverse member 13, is a steering wheel 15.

' In juxtaposition to the steering wheel 15, and mounted upon thetransmission frame 43 -is a drivers seat 14 which may be of any suitableconfiguration and style. i

In operation, an operator seated in the seat 14 is adapted not only tocontrol thef speed of the engine 12 and the bull wheels 3, butythisoperator also controls the course of the harvester by adjustment ofthe steering fork 8 through the steering wheel 15, rod, 10, and gears 6and 7. Thus the operator is enabled to direct the machine to travel downa row of sugar beets, or other crop, and, when the end of such a row isattained, to steer the machine iiito operable relation to seme other rowof crop, or elsewhere as needs demand.

The transmission Extending rearwardly from the engine 12 and to abearing bracket 46, which is mounted on said transmission frame 43 (seeFigure 8), is a clutch shaft 59. A pinion 50 is secured to said shaft59. Said pinion 50l Vdrives a bevel gear 49 which is keyed to atransverse shaft 58, which latter shaft rides in suitable bearingsprovided therefor in the transmission frame 43.

A pinion 54 is secured upon shaft 58 and drives a ring gear 55 which ismounted upon a conventional form of differential, designated generally56. A shaft32 journalled in the transmission frame 43 extends from thedifferential 56, and pinions 45 secured to such shaft drive ring gears44 which, as has been previously pointed out, are securely fastened tobushings 41. The bull wheels 3 are secured to said bushings 41 and arerotatably mounted on axles 42, as previously recited. A clutch mechanismupon the engine 12 is controlled from the operators seat 14 by aconventional clutch controlling pedal 36. It is in this mariner that theengine l2 is coupled to the drive wheels 3 to give tractive effort tothe harvester.

Another shaft 57 is journalled in the transmission frame 43, and isarranged transversely in respect to main frame member 1. It is driven bya gear 48 fastened to said shaft 58 which meshes in a gear 47 secured tosaid shaft 57. Said shaft 57 also carries a gear 51 which meshes with agear 52, the latter be- The puller mechanism Mounted upon the left sideof the machine (Figure 1) are paired and oppo'sitely disposed pullerframes60 plainly shown in Figure 2. At their front end, the pullerframes 60 are heldin spaced. relation by an arch bracket 77 (Figure 6).

A second arch bracket 81 is at the rear end of the puller Aframes 60(Figure 2). In said bracket 81 are bearings for two longitudinal 4shafts 213, and the driving members therefor (see Figures 5 and 6). f

The puller frames 60 are supported upon the transmission bracket 43 by abracket 192.

A clevis 85 (Figure 5) is arrangedvto'turn' freely in the bracket' 192whereby to permit the forward end of the puller frames 6() to be raisedor lowered. Y

Said clevis 85 provides a bearing for `the shaft 90, heretoforementioned, and which is "secured to a gear 52. The shafts 213 are drivenfrom shaft 90 by two bevel gears 87 and 88 (see Figure 5).

Within the puller frames 60 are end sprockets 65 and 66, the peripherythereof providing guiding means for a. puller chain. Sprocket 65 issecured to a shaft 86 (see Flgure 6) which is driven by shaft 213, theintermediate gears being designated by the numerals 214 'and 215. Inorder that the shafts 213 and 86 shall have suitable bearings, a bracket216 is provided for each ofthe puller frames 60 (Figure 6). n Y

- Clevis 85,at the rear, in hinged to the rear arch bracket 81 by pins84. These permit the front end of the puller frames 60' to be guidedtransversely in keeping with irregu-y ioo the point where the archbracket 81 and the clevis 85 are hinged; i

About the sprockets 65 and 66. the former being the drive sprocket, andthe'other being a guide roller pulley, a stalk puller, chain moves. Saidchain comprises a rubber or elastic part and includes chain links whichrotate upon sprockets 65 and 6G and upon which the rubber or elasticparts are seated.

A full and complete description and illustration of the drivingsprockets 65. and 66, and the' chain and belt thereabout, is to be foundinthe copending application of William E. Urschel, the inventor here,Serial Number 342,032, filed February 23, 1929, entitled Bean harvester,ands. in other applicationsfor Letters Patent in the name of the presentapplicant,

In view of this previous complete disclosure of the character of stalkpuller chain there shown and here employed, the present' drawings do notillustrate in such great detail the structural rfeatures of theA pullerchain.` which is designated generally 7 3. The description of the cha-inis somewhat limited also, although it is believed to be, as presented,entirely satisfactory for the purposes of the present application.

The chain 73 comprises a channeled member having ianges with eyestherein, each link being designated 101` and having upon the backthereof a projecting lug 102. Intermediate each pair of main links 101are a pair of side plates 103. Each of the side plates 103 carries 'twoapertures, and the connection between the links 101 and the side plates103 is by means of rivets. The ends of the rivets project internally toprovide engaging members, the purposeof which will be later pointed out.

Riding in the links 101 of the said puller chain 73 is an endless beltlof yielding material, such as soft rubber. The projecting internal endsof the rivets hereinabove referred to project into grooves arranged atch side of the elastic belt. the grooves bein,` continuous andcoextensive with the length of the belt and identical upon each sidethereof. The rivets thus retain the rubber portion of the chainin tbechannel of the links 1 01 while the sprocket 65 is driving said chainpositively through the engagement of the teeth of the sprocket with thelug teeth 102. one of which is upon the'back'of each link 101. f

As hereinabove pointed out, the forward end of the puller framesincludes an idler sprocket wheel 66. The stalk puller .chain 73intermediate the idler l66 and the drive sprocket is pressed outwardlyof the frames 60 by a plurality' of spring actuated idler rollers 67shown in Figure 4. these idlerrollers being rotatably journalled inpivoted arms 68. Pivoted arms 68 are urged outwardly by compressionsprings 72 mounted upon rods One end of each rod 70 is mounted forreciprocal movement adjacent to free end of the pivoted arms 68 and theother end of said rod 70 is secured in the puller frames 60. The springs72 exert a resilient force upon the idler rollers 67, thus providingsutlicient tension to cause the cha-i117 3. where the sections of thesaid chain 73 and of the opposed puller frames 60 are contiguous, togrip and to hold an exposed portion of a crop top, such grip being of afirm but not destructive character,

while the c rop is being elevated from the ground. y

The tension of the compression rings 72 may be adjusted by take-up nut-s71. One take-up nut 71 is provided with each rod 70, sothat it is arelatively simple matter to provide the various rollers 67 withdifferent spring tensions, in order that the crop may be heldprogressively tighter, or more loosely, as it travels from the front endto the rear end of the puller frames 60 while held securely therebetweenby the resilient or rubber belts 73. Normally the adjacent faces of thechains 73 are contiguous or substantially contiguous for the entireinside faces of the puller frames 60.

Over the under face of each puller frame 60 is a bottom plate 74 (seeFigure 3) secured thereto by*I bolts 69 passing through 60'includesatapered portion 64 which guides the exposed leaves. of a crop upwardlyover the top surface of the puller frames 60 and intermediate the rubbertired puller chain 73. Pointed rods 61 are reciprocally mounted in theforward end of the puller frames 60.

' Said rods 61 project forwardly beyond the puller frames 60, andarepositioned at an angle to move in close proximity to the adjacentground, whereby to raise from the `ground any part of the exposedportion of 'the crop, such as the leaves, .which may be vrecumbent uponthe ground.

In order that therods 61 shall be resilicntly mounted, compressionsprings 62 are disposed between the rods 61 and the puller frames 60 toexert an urging force upon the rods 61" to force them outwardly of thepuller frames 60. Should the rods 6-1eucounter an obstruction, saidrods, or either of them, are forced into the puller frames 60, thuspermitting the rounded nose of the puller frames 60 to slightly passLover the obstruction.L

` By employing a pair of oppositely disposed similar puller frames 60urged together by the spiral spring 83 (see Fig'ure 5) the puller frames60 may be made to separatf` slightly or widely, as necessity demands.Levers 79 are mounted uponeach of the arch brackets 77 and 81 by meansof bolts 93 and are joined together by a tubular member 80 (see Figure6).

Referring particularly to Figure 5 it will be noted that one end of arod 82. around which said coil spring 83 is disposed. is mountedin onearm of said lever 79. The other end ofA said spring rod 82X is mountedreciprocally in arch bracket 81.

In the event a stone or other incompressible foreign object is wedgedbetween the stalk .puller frames 60, i. e., between chains 73, thetension upon springs 83 may be-relieved. This is accomplished by raisingthe tubular member80. Such movement lowers the horizontal plane-of thespring rods 82, by the movement of levers 79, and such move- `ment alsodraws apart. the puller frames 60. In order that the puller frames `maymove relatively to one another, a flexible jo-int 89 is mounted on shaft90 at the points where the arch bracket 77 and 81 are hinged. Fromreference to Figure 2, it will be noted that the puller frames 60 aresupported at their front end by a bevel crank 107, the lat-y ter beingsecured to an extended pivot pin 78 by a connecting rod 106 (Figure 2).Connectmg lrod 106 and bevel crank 107 are held together by a pin 115.Connecting lrod-106 is secured to said pivot pin 78 by a ball and socketjoint. j 4

- Bevel crank 107 is secured within a clevis 119 by a pin 118, thelatter being of such construction that it will allow of transversemoveme-nt of the puller fra-mes 60 when they` are being guided along arow of crop.

Said clevis 119 is secured to a shaft 108 which is rotatably mounted inbrackets 120 and. 121, said brackets being secured to the v transverse'frame member 13. An arm 110 is secured to a hand lever 112 and ismounted on shaft 108 so that said shaft 108 is freeto turn in said arm110. An arm 109'is secured to shaft 108. Spring rod 113 is mounted inthe arm 110. Said spring 113 is so -mounted in arm 110 that it passesthroughv arm 109. A 40 spring 114 is'mounted upon rod 113, and exerts aresilient tension upon arm 110 to urge the puller frames 60 into an'adjusted position, but permitting of said puller frames 60 to slide overobstructions and uneven ground,

i ;*he springs 114 'compensating for the changes 1n the position ot'saidpuller frames. By

Lhand -lever 112 the height of the stalkpuller frames 6() may beadjusted by the operator from his seat 14.

In'order that the puller frames may register with a row of crop, meansfor shifting said puller frames transversely of the machine frame toguide them are provided. This is. done by foot levers, 123 and 124pivoted to 55 a bracket 193 by a pin 126. Foot rests 122 are mounted Vonthe foot levers 123vand 124 i. e., positioning the lifter 127 injuxtaposition and beneath the lifter frames 60, as shown, the crops areactually elevated by the breakingof the ground therebeneath by thelifter 127, the puller chains making the. elevation obtained by thebreaking of the ground a truly vertical elevation, and permitting of theadditional elevation obtained through the chains 73 a/relatively simplematter without burdening chains 73 with a pull upon the crops todislodge them from the ground.

Said lifter 127 is adapted to run into thel ground beneath the bodyportion of a roo't crop, and is pivoted upon a stud 200 set in an archedmember 199. The arched member 199 is mounted on the left hand side on astud 198, which latteris secured in the main frame 1. The r-ight handside of the arch shaped member 199 is mounted on a stud secured in abracket 210.

A safety catch 196 `is disposed upon frame member 194 and is pressedagainst the arch shaped member 199 by a spring 201. In case the lifterv127 strikes an obstruction, the catch 196 will permit of the archedmember 199 pivoting on its supporting stud, thus allowing the lifter 127to rise out of the ground. Such a construction prevents damage to thispart of the machine, and also prevents such damage as would result fromthe machine becoming lodged against movement in accordance withthedemands of the traction applied thereto.

The plow or lifter 127 may be controlled from the operators seat 14. Ahand lever 135 is disposed on a pin 202 set in a bracket mounted 011 alongitudinal vframe member 195. A spring rod 209 is secured at one endin said hand lever 135, and at its other end it is -reciprocally mountedin an arm 206. The latter arm 206 is mounted upon a shaft 204 which isjournalled in bracket 205.

Arms 203, which are secured 4to shaft 204, terminate with steps'whichslide within slots 207 in the lifter beam of litter 127. A spring 208mounted on the spring rod 209 forces the litter 127 into the ground asthe hand leverv 135 is lowered.

The. cutting mechanism The mechanism employed to remove the tops withthe appendages from the body of a crop comprises primarily twooppositely dis osed sets of roller bars (see Figures 15 an 16, et seq.)Vdisposed in the path of a 60 foot levers, the

in transverse position with respect to the two oppositely disposedroller bar sections,

65 crop. By the arrangement herein illustrated,

by studs 125, secured in said foot levers 123 crop elevated. and -beingconveyed by the and 124. Footlever 123 is joined to a bevel liftingchains 73. The rollers just referred crank lever 107 bya rod 117. Byusing two to operate in such a manner. that the apfoot rests 122 are atall times pendages of the crop are drawn between the machine. y y thecrops being drawn upwardly within cer- A- lifter 127 is mounted underlthe 'puller tain limitations by the action of such rollers frames 60toassist in the elevating of the (see Figures 10 and 14). j

To prevent the body of the crop being where it will not pass under theroller bars vthe groot' portion will be held with its V'to will bepulled downwardly by said disks 100 before 'the roller bars are reached,thus forcing thegbody of the crop to pass beneath vthe roller bars as isnecessary forthe subsequent operations herein'describedc f Each ofthe'said Crowder disks 106 is se? cured to a shaft 99 for which suitablebear ings are provided in brackets 95 (Figure 6) The brackets95 aremounted upon the puller frames {S0-and upon the rear arch member 8l.Bevel gears298, which are disposed upon shaft 99, are drivenYV by bevelgears 97, the latter being secured to a shaft 96. Bevel gears 94,attached to shaft 96, are rotated by bevel gearsY 88. y

There are two sections of Vroller bars 150 which are oppositely andcomplementally disposed. Thenbars rotate inran opposite direction, itbeing the purpose of sai bars 150 to engage the appendages of a crop, topull such appendages upwardly between the two sections of rollerbars,'drawing the root portion of the crop to be brought into closeproximity with the lowermost section of the lcontiguous roller bars. Asthere is a constant pulling effect upon the a pendages by the bars 150,which pulling e ect is insulicient to break the appendages from theroot, all of the root crop will be drabvn upwardly so that, as ittravels toward the rear of the machine, undei` lthe influence ofV chainsY73,

face in a fixed plane. While so held,- the Y cutting mechanismhereinafter described will operate upon the root in a plane beneath suchfixed plane for the top surface of the root.

The roller bars 15() of each section of the device are secured togetherVat thenrear end by cylindrical bearing blocks 151 and at the forward endby end bearings 152. The roller bars 150 are free to revolve in saidbearings.

Said roller bars 150 have a shape such as shownin Figures I7, 18, and19, Yand are held in spacedY relation at the rear end by a bearingbracket 153 securely fastened etween two longitudinal frame members 161Yand 163.

The frame members 161 and 163 are supported at the rear byV a transversemember 180 which member is securedto theYY main frame member 1. Theforward ends of.

such longitudinal members 161 and 163 are supported upon the main framemembers by brackets 218 (seeFigure 2).

The roller bar shaft 37 is journalled in bearings 188, and lis driven bysprocket 38 by the chain 39.- Gear 168, fwhich is secured to shaft 37,drives a gear 167, fixed to a shaft 154. The shaft 154 is journalled ina bear- I escasos ing bracket 153. The right Yroller bar sec- 151, whichfurnishes bearings for the right hand`roller bars, is securely fastenedto a shaft 157.= i

The left hand roller bar section is resiliently pressediagainst theright roller bar section by springs 170 and 183. fBearinU 179isrotatably mounted on hub 191 (See Figure 12), which latter is disposedin bearing bracket 153. Such construction allows the roller bar Ysectionto spring apart as the appenda'ges ef the crop vary in thickness'and involume.V e Y A bevel gear 158, secured-.to shaft 154,drives a bevel gear159 fixed to a shaft 162, whichV shaft 162 isjournalled in the hubprojection 191 of bearing bracket'153. Bevel gear 159 rotates a bevelgear 160 securely fastened to shaft 164. Bearing block 151 fixed toshaft v164: rotatesthe left hand roller bar section.

. The'forward end of the right hand roller bar section is supported by abracket 186 which? is bolted to frame member 161. End member 162 isrotatably mounted on a stud secured in bracket 186. The forward end ofthe left hand section of the roller bars is supported by a bracket 185mounted upon' a spring rod` 184. The left hand end bearing 152 isrotatably mounted on a stud set in bracket -185. The spring rod 184 isreciprocally mounted in a bracket 182, which bracket. is bolted orotherwise secured to the frame member 163. The spring 183 urges itsforce upon theleft roller bar section.

At the `rear end of the'left hand roller bar section is a 'spring 170,heretofore referred to,

P which is mountedlupon a springrod 169, one

end of which rod is reciprocally mounted in frame member 163. The otherend is secured to a brace bar 187. Springs 183 and 170 force thei twosections of roller bar members: together, and thus supply means foradjusting the pressure exerted upon the two sections which operate atall times under' the urging influence of springs for the purpose ofmaintaining them in adjusted relation.l The means for driving the rollerbar sections has hereinbefore been described. i

The exposedfor upper portion of a crop is sheared or otherwise severedin the present machine. The appendages Yare removed by means of a pairof oppositely disposed circular cutters 178,1'nounted directly in thepath of the crop (see Figure 13).

ferred to is the path which the when being held between the two rollerbarV sections, and as it approaches the end of the roller bar sections,at all times being under the elevating influence of the pullermechanisms 60;' Cutters 178 are fixed to shafts 177, which 1mpartopposedrotation to the cutters 17 8.

Shafts 177 are journalled in brackets 17.3,i

The'path recrop assumesYY and are' driven by shaft 17 4. by two bevelgears 175 and 176-. Sprockets 172, secured to shaft 174, are driven bysprockets 166, securely fixed to shaft 154, through a chain 189.

General remarks With the arrangement of the parts hereinabovedescribed,it will at once be apparent, thatv a machine has been provided in whichthe pulling instrumentalities 73 are adapted to grasp the exposedappendages o the soil embodied crops to gradually elevate them along apredetermined path toeiect the removal thereof from the soil and tosever the appendages therefrom. The soil elevator 127 J assists thechains the soil.

The mouth of the pulling means in this in- 73 in takingthe crop from Istance defined ,by the cooperating puller unit-s crop from the gro isguided' in a line coinciding with the linear path along which cropsusually are planted so that the contacting faces of the iiexible pullerchain 73 will yieldably grasp the exposed portions of the crop andcarryand elevate them along an arcuate path having a gradual inclinetoslo'wly pull the crop from the coil, this being aided and abetted bythe?V soil lifting-efforts of the elevator plow 12 v The crop is firstengaged by the pulling members online A'A (see Figure 10) As the crop iscarried rearwardly, the lifter 127 which cooperates with pullers 7 3,loosens the -ground about the 'crop and pushes or lifts the The cropsfreed from the soil are carried .to the topping. instrumentalities.Before reaching these devices, the crop is adjusted in the device by theCrowder discs 100, so that all of the crop will pass under the rollerbar sections. As the crop is carried rearward by,

chains 73 vthe appendages of the crop ares drawn between the twosections of roller bars, or, means for'moving the crop transversely tothe direction of the conveyor.

When theappendages of the crop are pulled,y between' the roller barsections, such appendages are drawn axially of saidcrop and up betweenthe roller bar sections until thel body of the crop is againstthe'lowermost roller bars. Because of the angle of the end bearings 151and 152 in respect to theroller bars 150, the crop continues to beconveyed rearwardly by the roller bar sections as the upper sections ofthe appendages are gripped by the rubber tired chains 73. Thus there isprovided means moving transverselyto the direction of the conveyor andgripping the crop appendages for ymoving Ythe crop normally to theconveyors This is illustrated in the diagrammatic Figure 14. rEhe cropmoves lengthwise of the roller bar sections without impedance.

The cro yis carrled rearwardly in the line 55 indicated y the lineD-f-D(Figure 14) until With this angle the`crop will be drawn upwardlyapproximately three and one-half inches to every six inches that it iscarried arearwardly. This ratio, however, may be changed to suitconditions. The rate of speed at which the crop is carried rearwardly by'the roller bars is'naturally the same as the rate of speed of therubber tired chains 73.

As the crop ,is carried rearwardly by the roller bars, it is carriedthrough the abutting edges of the oppositely vdisposed cutters 178positioned as shown in Figure 13. Said cutters sever the a endages andthe crown or top part of th crop from the body of the crop. The cutters178 may be adjusted to cutany desirable portion from the top of thecrop.

When severed from the appendages, the body of the crop falls to theground or into a suitable container which may be provided (not shown).Conveyors may be provided to elevate the crop into a' wagon orreceptacle. The appendages of the crop are discharged .from the machineat the back end of puller framesGO.

To adapt the machine to crops such as the lred beet or carrots, when itis desirable to vremove the appendages close to the body of the crop,the cutters may be removed. The pressure of the springs 183 and 170 isvthen increased to such an extent that the body of the cropwill be\drawnup against the roller .bars and the appendages of the crop will bepinched, crushed', or otherwise severed from the bodytof the crop. Thisis possible whenever thc appendages are relatively tender andothersection, the bars of both sections moving upwardly to bisect such planefirst at one sideand then at the other.

The result'of the operation of the sets of bars 150 is to pull thefoliage of a plant there between until the root portion engages the bars150 to prevent further lifting, the bars' u 150 because of the pitch ofmembers 151 and 152 constantly conveying the plant in a path between thetwo sectionsof roller bars independently of the movement imparted to theplants by the carrier chains73.V The movement of roller bars150 issynchronized to g move the plants therebetween at thevsame speed and inthe same direction as the chains 73 convey such plants. f

The present invention is a modification ofv applicants deviceillustrated in Patent N o. 1,727,020, there being numerous differences1n structure and arrangement.

I claim v 1. The combination with a cutting means, of a conveyor for aroot crop, and means ,moving transversely to the direction of saidconveyor and gripping the crop for adjusting the position thereof normalto its movement in said conveyor and relatively to said cutting means 2.The combination with a cutting means, of a conveyor for root cropswhereby a crop Y therein is conveyed past said cutting means,

and means moving transversely to the direction of said conveyor andgripping the crop;

the appendages of said crop are held in said l conveyor. l

' 4. The combination of a conveyor carryingroot crops by their leaves, acutter 5for severing the leaves from the root portions, and

means moving ina direction substantiallytransverse to the movement ofsaid conveyor gripping the leaves for adjusting the position of saidroots relatively to said cutters and normally to their movement in saidconveyor.

5. The combination of a conveyor for root trops engaging such crops bytheir leaves, of

a cutter acting to sever the root and leaves, and vcrop adJustmg meansmoving in a d1- rection, substantially transverse to the movementof the'conveyor and gripping the portion of the leaves beneath that part heldby said conveyor to move said crop in said conveyor in a directionnormal tothe 4advancing movement of the crop in said conveyor.

6. Elevating means for soil embedded crops having leaf appendages, comrising a plurality of parallel bars transverse y engaging saidappendages and adapted to draw said appendages away from Vthe rootportion.

7. Root crop elevating means comprising paired complemental barsarranged in series, and means vfor moving each series of bars about anaxis, the paths of movement of bars of opposite series being inproximity to admit of the passage of the leaf appendages therebetween.

8. The apparatus described in claim 7, and in which opposed bars, whenin proximity,

prising a movable bar member, and means for moving said bar member, themovement of said bar member being in a direction axially of the rootportion of a crop toward the foliage thereon.

11. Means for adjusting the top surface of root crops toan\instrumentality adapted to operate thereon, comprising two series ofroller bars, each series having a plurality of individual roller barsand bearing members therefor, and means for rotating said bearingmembers to cause said each series of roller bars to move in opposit-edirections and define a narrow path therebetween, said roller bars eingadapted to draw the foliage of a root crop therebetween axially of saidcrop while maintaining the root portion of the crop in a predeterminedposition relative to the opposite side of said roller bars.

l2. In a harvester, a pair of roller bar members adapted to grasp thefoliage of a root crop and movable about different axes to draw the roottoward said members and longitudinally thereof.

13. In an agricultural device for a plant y having a crop portion andfoliage, bars moving m opposed arcuate paths and engaging the foliage todraw it away from the crop.

14. In an agricultural device for a plant having a crop portionandfoliage, bars moving in opposed intersecting paths and engaging thefoliage to draw it away from the crop.

15. In an4 agricultural device for a plant having. a crop portion andfoliage, bars moving in opposed arcuate paths and engaging the foliageto draw it away from the crop, and means for moving said bars.

WILLIAM E. URSCHEL.

